eurekafandomcom-20200222-history
Albert Einstein
Albert Einsten was a scientist and a visionary, he came up with Eureka, where great thinkers could develop amazing technology. He was also the one to come up with E=MC2 wich stands for mass–energy equivalence. In physics, mass–energy equivalence states that anything having mass has an equivalent amount of energy and vice versa, with these fundamental quantities directly relating to one another by Albert Einstein's famous formula This formula states that the equivalent energy (E'') can be calculated as the mass (''m) multiplied by the speed of light (c'' = about 3×108 m/s) squared. Similarly, anything having energy exhibits a corresponding mass ''m given by its energy E'' divided by the speed of light squared ''c². Because the speed of light is a very large number in everyday units, the formula implies that even an everyday object at rest with a modest amount of mass has a very large amount of energy intrinsically. Chemical, nuclear, and other energy transformations may cause a system to lose some of its energy content (and thus some corresponding mass), releasing it as the radiant energy of lightor as thermal energy for example. Albert Einstein died on the 18th of April, 1955. Albert Einstein also was the man who made nuclear weapons a possibility. Quantum Theory of Light Einstein proposed his theory of light, stating that all light is composed of tiny packets of energy, called photons. He suggested these photons were particles but also had wave-like properties, a totally new idea at the time. He also spent some time outlining the emission of electrons from metals as they were hit with large electric pulses, like lightning. He expanded on this concept of the photoelectric effect, which we'll discuss later in this article. Special Theory of Relativity In Einstein's studies, he began to notice inconsistencies of Newtonian mechanics in their relation to the understanding of electromagnetism, specifically Maxwell's equations. In a paper published in September 1905, he proposed a new way of thinking about the mechanics of objects approaching the speed of light. This concept became known as Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. It changed the understanding of physics at the time. Understanding the Special Theory of Relativity can be a little difficult, but we'll boil it down to a simple situation. He began with the understanding that light always travels at a constant 300,000 km/s, and asked what would happen to our ideas of space and time if that was the case? If you fire a laser at something moving half the speed of light, the laser beam still keeps this constant, and it doesn't travel at one and a half times the speed of light. So, he realized that either our measurement of the distance between objects must be wrong or the time taken to travel that distance was greater than expected. Avogadro's Number For anyone that has made it through a chemistry class, you likely remember Avogadro's number or it, at least, rings a bell. While Einstein was working to explain Brownian motion, the erratic movement of particles in a fluid, he also determined an expression for the quantity of Avogadro's number in terms of measurable quantities. All of this meant that scientists now had a way to determine the mass of an atom, or the molar mass for each element on the periodic table. General Theory of Relativity In 1916, Einstein published his General Theory of Relativity. This paper generalizes the concepts of Special Relativity and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, describing gravity as a property of space and time. This theory has aided our understanding of how the large-scale structure of the universe is set up. The Theory of General Relativity can be explained like this: Newton helped quantify gravity between two objects as a tugging of two bodies, independent of how massive each one is or how far apart they are. Einstein determined that the laws of physics hold constant for all non-accelerating observers, that the speed of light is constant no matter how fast the observer travels. He found that space and time were interwoven and that events that occur at one time for one observer could occur at a different time for the next. This led to his theory that massive objects in space could distort spacetime. Einstein's predictions have helped modern physicists study and understand black holes and gravitational lensing. The Photoelectric Effect Einstein's theory of the Photoelectric Effect discusses the emissions of electrons from metal when light shines on it, as we alluded to before. Scientists had observed this phenomenon and had been unable to reconcile the finding with Maxwell's wave theory of light. His discovery of photons aided the understanding of this phenomenon. He theorized that, as light hits an object, there is an emission of electrons, which he deemed photoelectrons. This model formed the basis of how solar cells work - light causes atoms to release electrons, which generate a current, and then creating electricity. Wave-Particle Duality Einstein's research into the development of the quantum theory was some of the most impactful he ever accomplished. During his early career, Einstein persisted in asserting that light should be treated as both a wave and a particle. In other words, photons can behave as particles and as waves at the same time. This became known as wave-particle duality. He is quoted as saying this on the subject, "We are faced with a new kind of difficulty. We have two contradictory pictures of reality; separately neither of them fully explains the phenomena of light, but together they do." As we think about all of Einstein's "inventions," we have to think of them in the light of his influence. His work advanced modern quantum mechanics, the model of physical time, the understanding of light, solar panels, and even modern chemistry. Einstein's has unequivocally influenced our understanding of physics as we know it today. Gallery Einstein.jpg Getty 143728282 72374.jpg Understanding-Turnover-Costs-through-Einstein.jpg Eureka Bridge Device 2.png Download.jpg 200px-World line.svg.png Category:Eureka characters Category:Males Category:Scientists Category:Technology Category:Inventor Category:Expert Category:Deceased Category:E=mc2 Category:Discovered Relativity Category:Never Appeared in the show